Seat bun fastening strip

ABSTRACT

A fastening strip for embedding within a molded plastic cushion for anchoring ring fasteners used for fastening the cushion to a support frame and securing upholstery fabric to the cushion. The strip is formed of a flat sheet of wide lattice-like mesh, with a wire rod extending along its length, along its central axis. A narrow tape is applied over the wire and stitched to the strip at opposite sides of the wire for fastening the wire to the strip, with the wire thus frictionally clamped between the tape and strip.

United States Patent [191 Ambrose Dec. 10, 1974 [5 SEAT BUN FASTENING STRIP 3,630,572 12/1971 Homier 297/454 [75] Inventor: Jere B. Ambrose, West Bloomfield,

Michl Primary ExammerCasm1r A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cullen, Settle, Sloman & [73] Assignee: Northern Fibre Products Corp., Cantor Birmingham, Mich.

[22] Filed: Oct. 23, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl, No 408,546 A fastening strip for embedding within a molded plastic cushion for anchoring ring fasteners used for fastening the cushion to a support frame and securing up-""' [52] Cl 297/452, 5/354 holstery fabric to the cushion. The strip is formed of a [5 Cl. flat sheet f a t ce mesh, a e o [58] new of Search 297/452 tending along its length, along its central axis. A nar- 297/1316 5/345 354 row tape is applied over the wire and stitched to the strip at opposite sides of the wire for fastening the [56] References cued wire to the strip, with the wire thus frictionally UNITED STATES PATENTS clamped between the tape and strip.

2,962,088 11/1960 Gleason 5/354 X 3,195,955 7/1965 Richardson 297/456 x 2 8 D'awmg 1 SEAT BUN FASTENING STRIP BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Molded plastic cushions, which are resilient and rubber-like, are commonly used for the lower seating portion and the backrest portion of upholstered automotive vehicle seats and furniture seats. An example of such type cushions and a method for making them are illustrated in my prior application Ser. No. 362,920, filed May 23, 1973. Such prior application relates, in general, to reinforcements for such cushions.

Such type cushions are frequently applied upon a supporting structure, such as a spring type frame. Upholstery material, such as a fabric of the woven type or of the plastic type are applied over the cushions and secured thereto. Since such cushions are generally very resilient and flexible, it is difficult to provide a means for securing them to the support structure as well as to secure the fabric thereto. Thus, this invention relates to a fastening strip or anchoring means to be embedded within the molded cushion, near a surface thereof, such as the bottom surface, which both reinforces the cushion as well as functions as a means for anchoring fastening rings used for fastening the cushion to the support structure and/or fastening the fabric upholstery material to the cushion.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The invention herein contemplates the provision of a strip of lattice-like mesh material formed for embedding within a foam plastic mass comprising a cushion, for interlocking with the foam plastic, and carrying a rod-like wire clamped to the strip by a back-up tape. Thus, so-called hog ring" fasteners may be penetrated through the surface of the cushion to engage around the wire and the tape, for fastening the cushion to the seat support structure and/or fastening the edges of upholstered material to the cushion.

The wire additionally functions to stiffen the strip for thereby increasing its ability to reinforce and control movement of the foam plastic cushion. Preferably, the wire is covered with a rough covering material, such as twisted paper, wherein it frictionally interlocks with overlapped strands of the mesh strip and also with the tape, which preferably is formed of a relatively rough surfaced material, such as a non-woven fabric with a roughened surface. The wire and tape can be grasped at any point along their length by the hog-ring fastener, with the tape spreading the load caused by pulling of the fastener, as well as reinforcing the cushion material.

Preferably, the tape overlaps the wire which in turn overlaps the central axis of the strip, with the tape stitched to the strip on opposite sides of the wire, thus distributing loads along the strip. This overall construction is simple to manufacture and inexpensive, as well as of relatively high strength and ability to interlock with and be relatively non-movable with respect to the material comprising the cushion.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a length of the fastening strip.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the strip.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view of the strip taken in the direction of arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a typical seat cushion used in an automotive type bucket seat, with the fastening strips shown in place in dotted line.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the seat cushion illustrating the placement of the fastening strips.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a portion of a strip and of the cushion.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the securement of the cushion to a seat support structure shown schematically.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the cushion with an upholstery fabric secured thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the fastening strip 10 is formed of a length of open lattice-like, wide mesh material 11 having longitudinal strands 12, transverse strands l3 intersecting and connected together at intersection points 14. Preferably, the material is made of an extruded plastic formed in the mesh shape during extrusion and then expanded and stretched in both its longitudinal and transverse directions to linearly orient the strands. One material suitable for this purpose is polypropylene, extruded and stretched into the mesh with the openings being approximately square between the longitudinal and transverse strands.

The intersections 14, between the strands, are preferably enlarged, particularly in the directions outwardly of the plane of the sheet to form little knobs or lumps at each intersection. These serve as interlocking keys, in a manner to be described below.

The plastic material selected, should be of the type which is relatively inert and relatively flexible, with considerable stretch resistance, particularly in its longitudinal and transverse planar directions. The appropriate material can be selected from those commercially available by those skilled in the art.

The length of the strip may vary, depending upon the particular cushion to which it is applied, but by way of example, it may be approximately six inches to two feet in length and approximately three inches in width with the mesh hole sizes in the range of about one-half inch. These dimensions, of course, may vary considerably, but are given to illustrate the relative wide or large mesh openings contemplated.

Centrally located along the axis of the strip, and extending its full length, is a rod 16 formed of a relatively stiff metal wire 17 covered with a rough wrapper material 18 such as twisted rough paper. Such type wires are commercially available and known to those skilled in the art. The rod overlaps the transverse strands of the strip along the center of the strip and in turn, is overlapped by a narrow, thin, flexible tape 20 which preferably is formed of a rough surfaced material, such as a non-woven fabric made of inert or relatively inert plastic fiber which is relatively not stretchable, e.g., stretch oriented polypropylene fiber. By way of example, the tape may be approximately one-inch in width used with a three-inch in width strip.

The tape is fastened to the strip mechanically, such as by means of a stitch line 21 and a second stitch line 22, with the stitch lines arranged on opposite sides of and closely adjacent to the wire so that the stitches join to the transverse strands which are overlapped by the tape.

In use, the fastening strip, which may be made in long lengths, is cut to the required length size and then is embedded beneath a surface 23 of a foam-plastic molded cushion or seat bun 24. The embedding is accomplished during the molding operation of the cushion so that the strip is completely surrounded by the foam plastic comprising the cushion but is near a surface of the cushion, such as near the bottom surface of a cushion which makes up the seat portion of the upholstered seat. The molded seat cushion may be made of a conventional foam plastic material such as of the urethane class, etc.

The material forming the mesh is relatively slippery or smooth due to the nature of the extrusion manufacturing processes used in making such type material. Thus, it is essentially frictionally interlocked with the foam plastic material of the cushion in several ways, namely, keying or interlocking of the enlargements formed at the intersections of the strands with the foam plastic material, and also frictional interlocking between the exposed surfaces of the tape and the adjacent foam plastic material and in addition, interlocking of the strands by the surrounding foam plastic.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the strip is arranged, relative to its adjacent exposed cushion surface, with the tapeinwardly of the surface and the wire inwardly of r the mesh strip. Once the cushion or bun is molded with the strip embedded therein, using a sufficient number of strips and a placement of the strips which are preselected, the cushion may then be fastened by means of conventional hog-rings 25 to cross-wires 26 of a conventional spring type seat support frame 27 (shown schematically in FIG. 7). The hog ring, which is a wire ring, split near one end, may be manually penetrated into the surface area of the cushion near the strip to grip around and engage the wire and the adjacent tape portion, as illustrated in H0. 6.

ln applying the hog ring, the workman can determine the location of the strip and the wire by feel, that is, by compressing the exposed surface of the cushion to locate the wire and thereafter can simply push the ring into the foam plastic material with the split end of the ring held open to engage around the wire and tape. Alternatively, by using a stronger tape, the hog ring may be engaged between the tape and wire, whereby the tape acts as a back-up and guide for the ring. Thereafter, either during the same operation or at a following operation, the hog ring may be gripped around adjacent cross wires which make up a typical and conventional seat support structure as for example found in automotive vehicles.

As illustrated in H6. 8, the fastening strip may also be used for anchoring the ends of fabric upholstery materials applied to the cushion. In the same manner as described above, hog rings are applied to the rod 16 of the strip and then are engaged around suitable reinforcing beads or edges applied to the edges of the precut.

The fastening strip described above may function as a stiffening or reinforcing means for the cushion, particularly the lower surface of a cushion which is used as a seat part or the rear surface of the cushion when used as the backpart of a seat, to prevent undue creep or flow or distortion of the cushion over periods of use. In addition, when it functions as the anchor for the fasteners, which secure the cushion to the upholstery fabric and/or seat support structure, the load is distributed by the strip over a substantial part of the cushion to thereby reduce the possibility of tearing or other damage to the cushion.

Having fully described an operative embodiment of this invention, 1 now claim:

1. A fastening strip for resilient, molded plastic cushions, such as molded foam-plastic seat buns and the like, for fastening such cushions to other objects, such as to a seat spring-type support structure or a cloth-like upholstery covering material applied upon said cushion, comprising:

a long, narrow strip, formed of an open lattice-like,

wide mesh made of thin, transversely arranged, coplanar strands joined together at their points of intersection;

each joint formed by the intersections of crossing strands being slightly enlarged transversely out of the plane of the strip for thereby interlocking with the plastic material forming the cushion;

a relatively stiff, wire-like rod extending along the lengthwise direction of the strip at about the center of the strip roughly perpendicular to some of and parallel to the remaining of said mesh strands; and

means securing said rod upon a face of the strip;

said securing means comprising a narrow cloth-like tape extending the length of the strip and overlapping the rod and a portion of the strip at opposite sides of the rod, with the tape secured to the strip along opposite sides of the rod by means of a row of stitches arranged at each side of and adjacent to the rod and extending through the tape and engaging the strands which are roughly perpendicularly arranged relative to the tape, so that the rod is held 7 in place between the face of the strip and the tape;

said rod being in the form of a thin, relatively stiff wire, covered with a protective wrapper frictionally gripped against the strip strands which are overlapped by the rod and also the adjacent surface of the tape, with the rod being otherwise substantially free of securement to the strip and tape;

whereby the strip may be completely embedded within and at a short distance beneath an exposed surface of a cushion during the molding of such cushion, with the rod being inwardly of the strip relative to the cushion exposed surface, so that ring-like fasteners may be partially extended into the cushion to engage around the rod for anchoring thereto, with fasteners extending outwardly of said cushion surface for fastening to an object to be secured to said cushion.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, and said tape beingformed of a thin, flexible, relatively rough surfaced fabric-like material for frictionally interengaging with the wrapper and also the plastic material forming the cushion. 

1. A fastening strip for resilient, molded plastic cushions, such as molded foam-plastic seat buns and the like, for fastening such cushions to other objects, such as to a seat spring-type support structure or a cloth-like upholstery covering material applied upon said cushion, comprising: a long, narrow strip, formed of an open lattice-like, wide mesh made of thin, transversely arranged, coplanar strands joined together at their points of intersection; each joint formed by the intersections of crossing strands being slightly enlarged transversely out of the plane of the strip for thereby interlocking with the plastic material forming the cushion; a relatively stiff, wire-like rod extending along the lengthwise direction of the strip at about the center of the strip roughly perpendicular to some of and parallel to the remaining of said mesh strands; and means securing said rod upon a face of the strip; said securing means comprising a narrow cloth-like tape extending the length of the strip and overlapping the rod and a portion of the strip at opposite sides of the rod, with the tape secured to the strip along opposite sides of the rod by means of a row of stitches arranged at each side of and adjacent to the rod and extending through the tape and engaging the strands which are roughly perpendicularly arranged relative to the tape, so that the rod is held in place between the face of the strip and the tape; said rod being in the form of a thin, relatively stiff wire, covered with a protective wrapper frictionally gripped against the strip strands which are overlapped by the rod and also the adjacent surface of the tape, with the rod being otherwise substantially free of securement to the strip and tape; whereby the strip may be completely embedded within and at a short distance beneath an exposed surface of a cushion during the molding of such cushion, with the rod being inwardly of the strip relative to the cushion exposed surface, so that ringlike fasteners may be partially extended into the cushion to engage around the rod for anchoring thereto, with fasteners extending outwardly of said cushion surface for fastening to an object to be secured to said cushion.
 2. A construction as defined in claim 1, and said tape being formed of a thin, flexible, relatively rough surfaced fabric-like material for frictionally interengaging with the wrapper and also the plastic material forming the cushion. 